YuGiOh! Desert FrostTime
by Falcon88
Summary: When a massive drought hits Eygpt, Atem gets Mana's help to make it snow. But as the situation in the kingdom continues to get worse, the two, with help from Mahad and Seto, decide to help the kingdom in their own way.
1. Snow in the Desert

Author's Note: This story is a sort of holiday special that I'm writing and the first one I do. I didn't mean to have it so soon after Because of Your Ka, but since I delayed that story a bit too much, I gave this one five days so I could finish working on it and alos work on chapter 2. Since this is just a holiday special, I'm not sure about the genre so I'm just putting Family/Humor. There won't be heavy humor as I'm not that good but hopefully something light. Finally, I'm don't entirely like the story title, so I might change it, if I think of something better, or I might leave it be.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Desert Frost-Time  
Chapter 1: Snow in the Desert?

Atem sat on his throne, deeply in thoughts. It was a hot morning day in Egypt, and the sun beat mercilessly down on the palace just as much as it did on the town around it. The young pharaoh currently had nothing to do because of the situation caused by the heat. The sun was killing off all the farm crops around Egypt and the Nile ran at an all time low, leaving the kingdom in a dangerous drought. Thus there had been a crash of trades and the economy was in the dumps. While he wished to check things out for himself, the priests had decided to do so themselves, leaving him with nothing to do until they had fully analyzed the situation. Atem shifted uncomfortably on the throne. It was soooo boring. Little did he know what was about to unfold. As he sat trying to find interest in the patterns decorating the walls, the doors suddenly burst open and in ran Mana chased by an angry chicken that was trying to peck at her heels. Atem stared in shock, blinking to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Mana cried as she ran.

"What in the name of Slifer…" Said Atem. Before he could ask what was going on, Mana leapt at him, placing her arms around his neck and pulling her legs up over the side of the throne. The chicken stopped before the throne, hopping mad and making a ruckus.

"Uh…hi." Said Mana blushing, as she seemed to notice the young pharaoh for the first time. Atem looked her straight in the eyes.

"Do I even want to know?"

"Um, maybe not." Mana smiled nervously. "But it was an accident!"

"What was?" Atem asked but was interrupted by the squawking fowl at his feet. He looked down at it. "Oh no…" He said noticing something around its neck. A medallion that looked _very_ familiar. Despite everything, Atem found a smile tugging at his mouth. "Seto?"

"Bawk-awk!"

"I swear it was an accident!" Said Mana. Atem tried to look sternly at her, but the mirth in his eyes gave him away.

"Can you change him back?" He asked.

"I think so." Mana replied as she made her spell book appear out of thin air.

"Then please do it before he lays an egg on my rug."

"Squawk!" Came the indignant remark from the fowl. Mana muttered an incantation from her book and before their eyes appeared Seto. The priest looked furious to say the least. He grabbed Mana by the scruff of her shirt and lifted her in the air.

"What goes on in your head? Do you have nothing in there?" Seto yelled. "Every time you do something stupid and cause problems! You never learn and you're more trouble than your worth!" Atem frowned. Yes, he understood Seto's anger, but there was no need to be rude and he was quickly going too far. Mana looked terrified and on the verge of tears.

"Seto, that's enough." Came Atem's stern voice.

"But sire…" Seto cut himself off as he saw the unwavering resolve in the pharaoh's face. "Yes your majesty." He said putting the girl down. Immediately the pharaoh's face softened.

"Careful Seto." Atem warned cheerfully and a bit absentmindedly. "You never know; someday she may become Princess of Egypt." Seto raised an eyebrow at his ruler as Mana turned her head away to hide her blush. Atem, however, didn't seem to realize the implication of his words. Seto bowed and walked out. As he left, the young pharaoh turned to his best friend.

"What happened?" Though Atem's voice was demanding, it was also gentle and supporting.

"I was walking along the corridors, practicing my magic and Seto accidently got affected when I bumped into him." Atem tried to keep a straight face, but soon he was pressing his lips together and before long he was snickering, just barely containing himself. This was a relief to Mana and she smiled a little.

"Seriously, transfiguration?" He asked. Mana nodded embarrassed. Atem shook his head.

"What are we going to do with you?" While everyone tolerated Mana and liked her, few had the patience to put up with her. Of those who served the palace, only her teacher Mahad, who Atem thought must have patience to spare for the whole kingdom, could ever truly put up with her. Aside from him, it was only Atem himself. He loved being around Mana; she made everything fun and there was never a dull moment with her. Even if he had a chance, he'd long since decided that he wouldn't change anything in her.

"Um, Pharaoh?" Came Mana's voice, interrupting his thoughts. Atem looked up curiously. "I, um… I was going to the market and, uh, I thought… well, would, would you like to… to come with me?" Atem smiled.

"Of course. I have to see how the people are doing anyway." Yes that was true given the current situation with the economy. But even if there wasn't that problem, he'd still go if she asked.

Atem and Mana walked silently through the bazaar, looking at each shop they passed. Most were barren with scarcely any items and many of the stands were shoddily erected as if set up in a hurry.

"Wow. Things are pretty bad." Thought Atem. "The priests haven't been telling me nearly half of what's been going on." As they continued on, Atem was so deep in his thoughts, he didn't notice Mana had halted.

"Oh!" Said Mana as Atem accidently walked into her. She had stopped before a stand offering a collection of necklaces, and was staring intently at one in particular with great interest.

"Sorry." Atem said.

"That's okay." Mana said waving it off kindly before turning to look at the necklace. He followed her gaze to see that she was admiring a golden necklace with a ruby in the center. Atem looked up when he heard Mana sigh and saw her begin to walk away.

"Wait!" He called. Mana stopped and turned to look at him. "If you like it so much, buy it." His friend smiled at him, sadly.

"I can't afford it." Atem stopped in his tracks.

"Gee, the crash of trades was really worse than I thought." He thought to himself. "Not even Mana, who gets paid as palace magician, can afford something?"

The rest of their stay in the bazaar was uneventful. They'd examined more shops, none of which were in any better condition than the first few they'd seen, and that only served to worry Atem even more about the economy of his kingdom. The two friends returned to the palace when it was around midday and the sun was at its peak, making it impossible to stay out. At first they had sought shelter inside the palace, but the air was so stuffy that it made it hard to breathe. So at that point they had retreated to one of the courtyards and taken cover under a plum tree. They sat on the dead and slightly burnt grass, both sweating up a swimming pool. It would of course get a bit cooler at night; maybe a nice breeze would come in and refresh them a little. Right now though, Atem felt as if the heat was getting to him. He couldn't concentrate and it felt as if it was only a matter of time before he could cook breakfast on his forehead.

"I wish it was colder already!" Atem all but shouted as he wiped the sweat from his brows. "Seriously, this is getting ridiculous, everything is going to dry up soon!"

"Pharaoh…" Began Mana.

"I'm just not sure whether we'll all starve or dehydrate to death." Atem continued ranting.

"I can make it colder." It was whispered so low that Atem almost missed it. He turned to Mana to make sure he wasn't mistaken.

"What?" He asked.

"I can make it colder. I can make it snow." Mana replied tentatively.

"You can?" Atem asked in surprise. He had heard about snow, yet he'd never seen it before. He knew it was possible, but never in his memory had there ever been snow in Egypt.

"Yes, it's not too difficult." Atem noticed that there was a nervous edge to her voice. She still remembered the events from earlier that day. Atem took her hand, hoping to restore her confidence in herself.

"Mana if you can do it, please go ahead. Egypt needs a reprieve, badly." She looked into his eyes and saw the begging desperation in them. He honestly didn't know what more he could do. Slowly she nodded.

"Alright." Mana said. Atem smiled, stepping back and watching her pull out her spell book. She flipped through the pages until she found the correct spell and began to read aloud. As Mana read the incantation, the air started to become rather chilly and gray clouds started to close in around the sky. Soon it was cold enough that Atem let out an involuntary shiver.

"Brr." He said.

"There! It's done." Mana announced.

"Did it work?"

"I think so." As they looked up to the sky, a small white something, landed on the pharaoh's nose. As it did, it instantly turned to water.

"Frozen water?" Asked Atem. Mana grinned happily.

"Snow!" She said jumping happily, joyful that it had worked. It was indeed snowing and it was picking up. In a manner of minutes, the ground was all white and it just kept piling as time went by. Mana cheerfully skipped around the garden as Atem looked around bewildered, taking in the changing sight.

"It's snowing. In the Egyptian desert. During the summer heat." Atem muttered to himself, almost laughing. He was so preoccupied that he didn't hear the new footsteps or see Mana stop mid-skip, when she heard who it was.

"Uh-oh." Mana turned and her smile faded. Atem followed her gaze to see Mahad and Seto walking out of the palace. Seto gaped and Mahad froze, eye twitching. The magician immediately knew exactly who was responsible for this.

"**MANA********!**"


	2. Fun in the Snow

Yu-Gi-Oh! Desert Frost-Time  
Chapter 2: Fun In The Snow

The young mage's glare found his apprentice, who shrunk down under his stare.  
"Are you-what are…are you out of your mind? Snow in the desert?" Mahad sputtered. Atem cringed, it was very, _very_ rare to see Mahad lose his temper. Mana was trying to hide behind the pharaoh, one of her hands in his.

"It's what I've been saying all this time." Said Seto with a sigh.

"It's not her fault." Said Atem, stepping in to defend her. "I asked her to. I never saw snow and I wanted to see it." The older magician didn't look convinced. "Besides, you can't say no to the prince." Atem tried. Mahad placed a hand on his forehead and sighed.

"What am I going to do with you two? Seriously?"

"Hey, lighten up." Said Atem, smiling mischievously. He crouched and scooped up snow, rolling it into a ball. "Have fun." With that he threw the snowball right at Mahad's face. The magician wiped the snow from his face, an annoyed look plastered on his face in its stead. He glared over to where Atem was smiling innocently while Mana giggled beside the Pharaoh. It was then that he became aware of Seto laughing from a few feet behind him. The priest was standing under one of the courtyard's archways. Mahad frowned then smirked. With a wave of his hand he brought a large mound of snow crashing down on Seto.

"There's something for you to laugh at." By now Atem and Mana were laughing just as hard as Seto had been just moments earlier.

"What's going on here?" The quartet turned to see that Isis had walked out into the courtyard along with Karim and Shada. Most likely to investigate the weather. "We're working while you play?"

"Now it's not how it looks like." Mahad tried to explain.

"Oh, no?" Isis continued, obviously not buying it. "Then please enlighten us."

"The Pharaoh and Mana were just playing."

"Then why do _you_ have snow on your face and why is Seto under a pile of snow." Mahad tried to reply but Isis cut him off. "And don't say it's because it's snowing. The snow wouldn't have collected like that unless it was thrown."

"I wasn't going to…" Mahad said.

"We're waiting." Atem was snickering and decided it was time to rescue Mahad.

"Well why don't you join us?" He asked.

"But we're not playing." Said Seto, finally extricating himself from the snow pile.

"I'm sorry Pharaoh, but we can't play around in the snow. It's not dignified." Said Shada.

"Hey, I'm the pharaoh and I'm playing in it."

"Yes but you're young enough that it'd make sense. Beside, you're Pharaoh, you can do pretty much all you'd like." Replied Karim. Atem rolled his eyes.

"Am I going to have to order you guys to have fun?"

"Hmm?" Said the three priests together.

"I hope you're not including us in that." Said Mahad.

"Of course, why would I leave you out?" Mahad sighed while Seto grunted.

"So what are we going to do?" Asked Mana. Atem thought for a minute and then it hit him.

"We're going to have a snow fight."

"A what?" Said the others.

"We build up an embankment of snow on opposing sides and throw snow at each other."  
"That's it?" Asked Karim.

"Yeah, come on, it'll be fun." Everyone looked at each other to see what the others thought. There was an almost unanimous collective shrug, though Seto remained expressionless. They all turned to him.

"Don't look at me; I don't do this kind of stuff." Atem sighed.

"Fine, we need to even it out anyway." He relented. "Go to the sides and be judge or something." Seto turned and began to walk to the edges of the courtyard. As he did, he slipped on the snow and nearly fell. He almost dropped into a split and had to put a hand to the ground in order not to nose over into a face-plant. Atem stifled a laugh, while Seto glared back at the group.

"Don't worry Seto!" Called Mana. "Nobody saw that!" The young priest muttered angrily but continued on his way.

"Okay, let's get the game under way." Said Atem. "Mahad, Mana, your on my team. The rest of you are the other." He began to make his way to his side when a thought occurred to him. "Oh, and I _order_ you to try and hit me."

It took about ten minutes for both sides to get situated and build a snow barrier in front of them high enough to duck behind. There was about thirty feet of distance from one team's mound to the other.  
"Ready?" Atem shouted across the yard.

"Yes sire!" Called back Karim.

"Go!" As soon as he gave the command, snowballs began to fly across the yard. Some hit the other team's barrier, some would fall behind. A few would hit body parts, arms, backs whatever was in range. Meanwhile, Seto looked on nonchalantly.

"What is the point of this?" He thought. The game went one for a long time in his opinion; too long. The pharaoh was laughing hard as he threw snowball after snowball. He was pleased that all the others seemed to be having fun to. He scooped up more snow, rolling it up and aimed at Karim, who had stood up to launch an attack on Mahad. The snowball flew true, but Karim ducked at the last moment, leaving it to smack into Shada's face, whom had just stood up behind Karim to aim himself.

"Nice one your majesty." Said Mahad. Atem nodded satisfied. As he rose to attack once more, he saw Mana's eyes widened and the girl called out to him.

"Pharaoh look out!" Atem looked round just in time to see a snowball flying right at him. It struck him square on in the face, splattering all over. The blow was sudden enough that the surprise caused him to lose his footing and fall backwards into the snow.

"Good shot!" Atem called out from his place on the ground.

"Are you alright?" Mana asked going over to see if he was okay. "Let me help you." She said.

"I think I got it." Atem replied. As he began to lift himself up, he saw Mahad slipping on the powdered snow a few feet from him. The mage tried to regain his balance but he just seemed to be dancing around as his feet repeatedly slipped out from under him.

"Ah!" Shouted Mahad as he finally fell. Atem and Mana stared, realizing their situation had just gotten more difficult.

"Right, let's try to avoid that." Said Atem.

"Yeah, lets." Said Mana. She offered Atem a hand which he took. However as she tried to pull him up, she found her own footing slipping.

"Whoa!" She screamed as her balance vanished completely and she fell forward.

"Ow!" Said Atem as he fell flat on his back.

"Oof!" Said Mana as she landed on Atem. "I'm sorry, are you okay?" She asked him quickly. To her relief however, the young Pharaoh was laughing heartily.

"Looks like we succeeded in doing the very thing we were trying to avoid."

"Okay, I think this is enough 'fun' for one day." Said Mahad, struggling to stand.

Seto walked onto the field looking around. Mahad had managed to get up but Atem and Mana were still struggling. Opposite them, Isis Karim and Shada were thoroughly soaked from snow. The whole game had lasted for about an hour and a half.

"Alright you all had your fun and games, now how about putting nature back the way it was." Seto demanded.

"Okay, fine." Said Mahad. He picked up his staff, and waving it, spoke out the spell to undo the snow. And nothing happened. Still everyone looked around just to make sure. It was still snowing.

"Well?" Seto asked impatiently. Mahad stared for a moment at the still falling snow. Slowly a thought was forming in his mind and it made his stomach churn.

"Mana? Which spell did you use?" He asked, dreading the reply.

"Um…" Said Mana, still kneeling in the snow beside Atem, as she made her spell book appear and leafed through it. Finding the spell she used, she pointed to it. "This one." Mahad looked it over then asked the question that was burning in his mind and seemed to be coming true with each passing moment.

"You didn't use a limiter with it, did you?" Mana visibly paled.

"Oops."

"Oh no, she didn't." Said Seto. Mahad sighed

"She did."

"What?" Asked Atem.

"A locking spell." Mana replied, ashamed of what had happened. The young Pharaoh looked even more confused.

"Please for those of us not as magically inclined." Said Atem. "What are limiter and locking spells?"

"When dealing with spells that last time rather than being instantaneous, such as with weather, you need to choose how long it lasts." Mahad explained. "Limiter spells usually last from a few seconds to a few hours. Locking spells on the other hand can last from one to four weeks."

"They're also effectively locked down against being removed until they dissipate on their own." Finished Isis.

"So it's stuck snowing." Said Atem. "And no one can stop it until it ends itself."

"Pretty much." Replied Shada.

"There goes the summer." Added Karim.

"Cool." Said Atem. The six turned to look at him. "Erm, no pun intended."


	3. The Plan of Gifts

Yu-Gi-Oh! Desert Frost-Time  
Chapter 3: The Plan of Gifts

Atem was staring intently at an icicle hanging from on of the doorframes of the palace when Mana walked in. It was the day after the snowball fight.  
"What are you looking at?" Asked Mana.

"This icicle." The pharaoh answered. "Just look at the patterns; it's amazing."

"What's so great about it?"

"Just look at the frost patterns on it. The way the light glints and always reflects differently through it. It truly is an amazing accomplishment." He turned to look at her for the first time since she arrived. "Thanks from making it snow." Mana chuckled dryly.

"You're the only person who's tanking me. Everyone else just probably hates my guts. I probably ruined their lives." Atem placed a hand on her shoulder and gave a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

"No. They just need to see it the way I do. You gave us all something beautiful." Mana smiled.

"I can make it even more so." She whispered. She took one of the icicles in both hands, hiding it from view, and held it up for Atem to see. Mana opened her hands and countless dust sized bits of shimmering, sparkling ice blew into the air, circling around Atem as it did. The ice blew carefully around him before hanging in the air between them and formed into the shape of a dove and before finally changing into the shape of a heart. Mana hoped the pharaoh would take the hint she presented in the second shape, but to her chagrin, he didn't look anything except impressed in the general magical process of her abilities.

"That's amazing Mana." Said Atem. He broke off the icicle he'd been staring at and held it for her to see. "This is all the magic I can do." He broke the icicle into a few pieces then cupped them in his hand, and blew into the small space he had left atop his closed palms. When he opened his hands, the icicle pieces had been transformed to resemble a flower. Mana nearly gasped when she saw the beautiful sculpture; it was simply breathtaking.

"Hmm." Atem said as he regarded the ice flower. "Here." He said giving it to Mana, before walking back inside. The girl blinked, staring at his retreating back. Just when she thought she had the young pharaoh figured out, he did something that threw her for a loop. It was all just one more piece of the young man she had long since realized she had fallen in love with. Mana smiled and followed him in, but not before casting a small spell on the ice flower to prevent it from melting.

Down by one of the palace's various studies, Mahad and Seto were hard at work on a project, having given up on fixing the weather. The young pharaoh had walked in a few minutes ago and now Atem was leaning against a stone archway that led into the palace's main study, listening to Mahad and Seto arguing over a problem they were trying to solve, related to relatively new subject. Something called mathematics or something of the sort.

"We need to put an x squared here so we can complete the square." Seto was saying.

"But there's no x squared. We can't pull it out of thin air." Mahad countered.

"Look over here; we have the y squared with the rest of the equation done. It's all factored nicely after we completed the square. Now we do the same on the other side." Seto explained. "All we need is to group them, and the rest is easy."

"We can't because, there is no x squared in the original equation."

"Then we place x squared here with the 9x and the 23."

"What x squared? Where the heck do you keep getting an x squared from?"

"Because we need it to properly complete the square."

"You can't divide an odd number by an even number. If you had an x squared, then maybe you could factor it after completing the square."

"Then that's what we need to do!"

"But there is no x squared!" Atem found a smile pulling on the corners of his mouth. This is what happens when you try to invent something completely new.

"Why do you guys even bother with this stuff?" He asked. "What good will it do anyway?"

"It'll make things more precise and make our lives much easier." Answered Mahad.

"How much easier has it made your lives?" Seto grunted while Mahad cleared his throat. At  
em smiled. "I'm sorry I didn't get that."

"Actually, it's made life much more complicated." Seto muttered.

"But that's only because we haven't perfected it yet." Mahad added quickly. Atem shook his head before heading his way while Seto and Mahad glared at one another.

"You know," Said Mahad, indicating with an index finger between him and Seto. "We really need to get this blasted thing worked out better."

It was a bit later on in the day, still snowing, and the palace was relatively quiet save for the occasional shuffling of feet or the occasional out burst as someone injured the selves by dropping a pile of tomes on their foot or getting fingers caught on a door. People were just to accident prone in the cold, especially in the chilly palace corridors. At this moment, Mana was walking through the various palace corridors looking for Atem. The young pharaoh had vanished after his cat with Mahad and Seto, and he hadn't been seen since. While Seto claimed the young pharaoh just wanted time alone, Mana eventually gave in to her worry and went to find him. She eventually located him in one of the highest rooms in the palace, standing on the balcony. Atem was staring sadly out over the town near the palace, his face a contort mixture of despair and hopelessness. It broke Mana's heart to see him like that.

"Pharaoh, are you okay?" She carefully asked.

"I just hate being here with all this stuff while my people are miserable." Atem replied without so much as looking away. "I have so much while so many are losing everything they have."

"Well, you can always, well, give them something." Mana offered. Atem's eyes widened and he looked up as if he had just heard the best plan in the world. He whirled around to face her.

"That's brilliant Mana!" He said, kissing her forehead before rushing off to find Mahad and Seto, leaving the blushing brunette in his wake.

"Mahad! Seto!" Atem called as he ran down some stairs to the priests' study. "We give the people gifts."

"What?" Asked Seto confused. Mana walked down the stairs after Atem and Mahad looked at her suspiciously. Usually when Atem's ideas were really out there, Mana was usually behind it. He knew this was true because Atem _always_ listened to Mana's ideas.

"The people are miserable, so we give them some stuff they need." Atem continued."What's the greatest gift one can give?" Atem asked.

"The gift that keeps on giving." Answered Seto. "After all who wouldn't want to keep getting."

"No. Well, kinda. It's for the sake of giving and not receiving."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"I know you wouldn't." Mana muttered crossly under her breath.

"How can we help the people? Asked Shada.

"We'll all contribute to making stuff the people need." Said Atem.

"Well take a few days to make and gather stuff then deliver everything at once."

"That's all swell." Said Seto, not really pleased with the idea. "But it'll take sometime."

"That's okay. I want _everyone_ working on this." The pharaoh replied. "That includes you too." Seto stopped in his tracks. He grit his teeth but went about with the task regardless.

"I'll get Isis and Karim." He sighed.

It took a full five days for the palace residents to gather all they need for the people, but they had finally succeeded, placing everything in a magically enhanced bag to ensure it all fit.

"What do we have?" Asked Atem as he approached the gigantic bag. Mahad, Isis, Shada and Karim were just finishing placing the last of the items in.

"Toys, tools, medicine, everything and anything." Seto approached with something in his hands and when Atem looked over, the young pharaoh's face fell. Seto tossed him a single vase and, catching it with both hands, Atem regarded it. There was nothing overtly special about it, save for the painting of a white, blue-hued dragon with blue eyes. The Pharaoh frowned.

"Wait. This is it?" Seto nodded. "Just one vase?" Atem placed a head on his forehead and groaned. "Just, put it in the bag with the rest of the stuff." Mana had by now joined them and looked at the large bag. They were finally done, and all that was left was to actually deliver everything to the people. But that in itself raised a problem.

"Now how do we get this to the people?" Asked Mahad. "The snow is pretty bad, we can't walk it to them." Atem thought for a moment, but once again it was Mana who provided him a solution.

"I just had a stupid idea." She said. "How about we take a carriage, convert it to travel on the snow, and take some horses to personally deliver the gifts?"

"That's the stupidest idea I ever heard." Said Seto. Atem however was thinking this over and not only did he find it an excellent idea, he thought he knew how to make it even better.

"Wait! I just had a stupid idea!" Said Atem. Everyone turned to look at the pharaoh, waiting. "We do it like Mana said, but we make it special. We go to each house and personally give toys and food and stuff. We'll give to _everyone_."

"That's brilliant sire." Said Seto.

"Hey, he said he's using part of my idea! Why is my so stupid then?" Mana asked indignantly.

"He is the pharaoh." Seto replied simply. Atem's face dropped, while Mana rolled her eyes. "He has no stupid ideas."

"You should at least be fair to her." Said Isis.

"I am. He's Pharaoh and she's not."


	4. Takeoff

A/N: Hey folks! Sorry for the delays, I'm traveling all over the eastern U.S. seaboard and I haven't been staying in one spot for very long, not to mention some places don't have a decent internet connection. I was hoping to ate least have had chapter five by Christmas so, I'm pretty late. Also, fate just isn't on my side. As if typing didn't take long enough, there's a blizzard supposedly coming into more. On top of that, I had trouble while snowmobiling earlier today. My snowmobile's handle caught fire (probably from a faulty hand heater) and I got second degree burns on my left hand when it burned through both the rubber handle grip and my thick snow gloves. It's not too bad, only the weaker version of that degree burning, but the blister hurts like there's no tomorrow! I'm glad I'm right handed for the things I'm not ambidextrous, though this slows my typing even more. Sorry. Anyway, hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a good Boxing Day (and any other holidays), and a special good night to any Bostonians and New Yorkers (the last two places I've been at) out there reading this.  
Yu-Gi-Oh! Desert Frost-Time  
Chapter 4: Takeoff

It was later the same day as Atem, Mana, Mahad and Seto descend through a set of winding stone steps into the palace's horse stables. They were preparing to set up the team of horses that would lead the Pharaoh's carriage to the villages. The stone path was unfortunately bitter cold, and they could see their breaths in front of their faces. Seto kept squeezing his nose repeatedly, trying to regain feeling in it aside, from stinging.

"I'm freezing my butt off!" Seto commented. "I even can't feel my face. It's like my nose is gonna break off." Mana giggled at that and Atem suspected that she hoped that would indeed happen.  
They passed various stalls, looking for one horse in particular first.

"Now let's see, ah, here we go." Said Atem, standing before his horse, a white stallion. He opened the stall door and walked in.

"Get the rest of the horses." Seto said and Mahad and Mana went to do so, while the Pharaoh climbed onto his horse's back, leading it out of its pen and turning it towards the large open door. The world outside the stables was literally pure white form all the snow.

"Hyah!" Shouted Atem, whipping the reins. The horses galloped out of the stables and…  
_Floowmp!  
_Sank chest deep into the snow.  
"Never mind about the other horses." Atem called back to the others. The trio quickly ran to his aid when they saw what had happened.

"Whose bright idea was this again?" Seto asked rhetorically, looking at Mana.

"Hey I'm doing my best here!" She countered.

"The plan is sound." Atem interrupted. "We just have to remedy this situation." Mana thought a second the snapped her fingers, her face brightening.

"Pharaoh! You won't believe it!" She called. "I have the solution!" Seto and Mahad looked skeptical but Atem looked positively delighted.

"Well then, lets have it." Mana smiled at him.

"Follow me." Atem followed her immediately, while Mahad and Seto exchanged a nervous glance before following too. She led them to the back of the stables to an area devoid of any horses. But there was something there as they could hear a snorting sound. Mana stopped in front the stall door that was emitting the sounds. The brunette beamed with pride at seemingly fixing their problem. "This is Dew." Said Mana, opening the stall door. Atem, Mahad and Seto looked behind her to see a single camel. It didn't look like it was exactly, motivated, enough to be of any help. It just stood there staring at everything and nothing with nothing short of disinterest on its face.

"A camel?" Asked Seto. "Is that the best we got? A camel?" He said leaning in to look at the expressionless face.

"Careful, he spits." Seto jumped back quickly. As if on cue, the camel fired a small ball of saliva shooting across a good distance. The young priest looked positively disgusted.

"What good will one camel do us?" Asked Mahad as he began to pace around the animal.

"Camels are able to use their wide feet to walk across sand without sinking and I figured they could do the same to across snow." His apprentice replied.

"It's still only _one_ camel." Seto said slowly as if talking to a dense child.

"Well, he's a magical camel." Mahad stopped and closed his eyes. Did he really want to go there?

"Define 'magical'." He asked as Atem started laughing.

"Well, to help get around faster, I cast a few, small, harmless spells. And he can fly." The three guys blinked.

"A magical flying camel?" Asked Seto incredulously. "Again, this is the stupidest idea I've ever heard."

"Do you have a better idea?" Mana countered. Seto remained silent. "Didn't think so." Seto turned on his heels and marched towards the palace. Mahad rolled his eyes but eventually followed suit. Atem however smiled warmly at Mana.

"Mana, did I ever tell you I love your ideas?" He asked. Mana blushed and shook her head no.

"Well I do. You're really amazing." Mana blushed even deeper. Did the young pharaoh even realize what he was saying? Or was he just being a good friend?

"Can we get under way?" Asked Seto. The four were now in the palace's main corridor, finishing up the last of the plan's detail.

"Soon." Mahad answered.

"What's the hold up?"

"They're just finishing converting one of the carriages to travel on snow."

"That's good." Said Atem. "By the way, how many families do we have to get?"

"1,225." Mahad answered after quickly checking a census list.

"People? That's not that bad." Said Mana.

"No, 1,225 houses. Some are single person, some have large families living there."

"Oh." Said Atem, grimacing.

"We can have it all done in a few days."

"I want it done in one night."

"Right; one Night. Wait! What?" Said Mahad in shock. "My lord, may I ask why?" The pharaoh nodded.

"I want everyone to receive the gifts altogether so no one will feel left out t any given time. That way, come morning everyone will have their stuff."

"Can it be done?" Asked Seto.

"We'll have to leave by nightfall. And we'll have to be fast."

"A flying camel doesn't sound so stupid now, does it?" Mana said Smirking at Seto who growled.

"We've got our job cut out for us." Said Seto. Atem sighed.

"Come on. Let's go have dinner. They should be done by the time we finish." He suggested. "And call the other priests. This is a special occasion." This was one of the few times the priests ate together with Atem. Usually they would just eat by themselves, unless there was a really special occasion. They assumed that Atem ate by himself. What they didn't know was that the dining hall was hardly used anymore, for Atem hated eating alone in the giant hall and would instead sneak away to meet and eat with Mana. The dining table was thus, unusually loud as everyone chatted and discussed the event they would soon put into motion. Though all eight people at the table talked amongst themselves, it was generally kept to groups of two: Atem and Mana, Mahad and Isis, Seto and Aknadin, and Karim and Shada. At one point Mahad looked across to his apprentice and the Pharaoh and nearly had a heart attack on the spot. Mana had taken a small cake and stuffed into the Pharaoh's mouth, horrifying Mahad and making Seto smirk. However, to Mahad's relief and Seto's chagrin, Atem simply laughed. Mana took a napkin and wiped away the bit of topping that had been left on Atem's mouth, and they continued talking. The rest of dinner was uneventful and gradually, the priest left one by one as the finished. Soon only Atem, Mana, Mahad and Seto remained. As Atem and Mana left the table laughing and chatting Mahad and Seto looked on after them. Mahad was happy that they weren't getting into any trouble, but the other priest looked nervous.

"I really worry about these two." Said Seto. "You know what the pharaoh said when she turned me into a chicken? He said 'You never know; someday she may become Princess of Egypt'." Mahad smiled slightly. Partly because of Seto and partly because of what he'd just learnt Atem had said. "I mean can you imagine? Mana, Queen of Egypt? Obelisk help us." Mahad frowned and shook his head a bit.

"Well, she's really not that bad. She's just young and inexperienced."

"She's a walking disaster."

"You're one to talk Mr. Hole-through-the-palace-roof."

"That was different. That was an accident." Seto defended. "And I was a child."

"Just like with Mana. She's just a child too."

"Not when there's an accident every other hour of every day. And she's not a child. She's 15!"

"Oh, come on. It's not that often." Seto scoffed.

"The Pharaoh needs to find himself a girlfriend. Then he'll stop being around her so much!" He said.

"What if the Pharaoh chooses her?" Mahad couldn't help but ask the question that had just popped into his mind. Seto looked like he'd just been told he'd lose all his authority.

"Obelisk help us."

"She's learning. She'll grow and do well."

"She's already caused you much trouble; why do you defend her?"

"She's my apprentice. I have faith in her. I know she's destined for great things."

"Besides, if that's still not reason enough for you, there's also the fact that the Pharaoh likes her."

"That's what worries me." Said Seto. He turned and began to walk away.

"What a hypocrite." Mahad muttered.

"What?" Seto called back

"I said watch for crickets."

"It snowing! They're all frozen! That doesn't even make sense."

At long last the conversion of the carriage had been complete and Atem stood with the others studying it from every angle.

"Wow! It looks amazing!" Said Atem as he regarded the "carriage". It couldn't really be called that anymore though. The entire top half of the royal red vehicle had been removed in order to fit the giant bag, though the velvet red seats had been kept, albeit all turned to face forward. The wheels had also been removed and replace with wooden runners to allow it to slide through the snow. As the guards moved to load the bag, Seto suddenly raised a hand, stopping them.

"We should really put a spell on these to make sure they don't break." He said knowing that some of the stuff in the oversized bag was fragile.

"Oh! I'll do it!" Mana volunteered.

"No!" Mahad said quickly and louder than intended so that everyone turned to look at him. He cleared his throat nervously "I mean, I'll do it." Atem grinned apologetically at Mana who was glaring angrily at her master. Mahad cast the correct spells and soon the guards were hefting the oversized bag into the rear of the carriage. As they did, Isis called Mahad over to give him some tips.

"Watch for dangers out there. This may be more than anyone can handle." She said. "This weather can be treacherous. Keep your head and stay calm." Mahad raised an eyebrow.

"Relax, I'm not an apprentice." He assured her.

"No, but Mana is. Remember to guide her. And don't be too hard on her."

"Yes ma'am." Mahad allowed him self a little joke.

"And keep the Pharaoh safe." Isis continued. That in itself went without saying.

"Of course." Said Mahad.

"Be careful." She added hugging him. Mahad's cheeks became red.

"I-um…I uh, yeah… will do." He stuttered. Mana turned to look at Atem, grinning wide.

"Oh, I'm beginning to see something." She said gleefully. Atem smiled at her.

"I'm beginning to see something too, and it's making the snow melt." He joked.

Atem drew his long, red cape around him and fastened it around his shoulders. For the first time in the past few days however, he realized something that he'd known but simply forgotten. It was so obvious, he felt incredibly stupid for forgetting it.  
"We're gonna freeze out there, aren't we?"

"Nope." Said Mahad waving his staff around himself. Mana and Seto were imitating his movements, the latter using his Millennium Rod.

"Here." Said Mana, placing her hand on the Pharaoh's chest. Instantly he felt warmth spreading from the area of contact, through his body. It wasn't like the desert heat, but rather a different, more welcome warmth. It was one that Atem was oddly enough familiar with as he felt it, naturally, whenever Mana embraced him. At those thought, the young pharaoh felt his cheeks heat up, and not from the magic. "There." Said Mana, pulling away. "It's a body-temperature regulating spell. It'll maintain your body temperature no matter the environment. It's simple enough that not even I can mess up." She said the last with a wink. Atem nodded his thanks. As palace personal attached the Dew the Camel to the carriage, Atem climbed into the front seat, the one usually reserved for the carriage driver, before giving Mana a hand, helping her climb in. Mahad and Seto sat behind them, in front of the gifts bag.

"Everyone ready?" Asked Atem.

"As we'll ever be." Said Mahad.

"Let's get this looming disaster under way." Seto grunted. Atem rolled his eyes.

"Always the positive one."

"We're all set." Said Mana. "Come on Dewey, let's go!" With that, the camel galloped out of the palace, its endowed magic also lending it strength to pull the heavy load.

"Come on up we go." Said Atem and with that, Dew rose up into the air with the carriage.

"I can't believe this actually worked." Said Seto, looking around.

"I can't believe we're actually flying." Said Mahad looking at the ground dropping away below them. In front of them, Mana was all grins. Atem looked proudly at her and the two started laughing.

"Haha! It worked!" Said the pharaoh.


	5. The First Village

A/N: Hey everyone! Here's chapter 5, after some more delay from downed internet. I'm not sure what happened as it hasn't been snowing too much. Oh well, chapter 6 will have to wait for the new year. Also, I've got to add that I've been forgetting a disclaimer; yikes! Well, that's all for now; I hope everyone has a happy New Year.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its characters. Yu-Gi-Oh! is owned by Kazuki Takahashi

Yu-Gi-Oh! Desert Frost-Time  
Chapter 5: The First Village

The red carriage flew through the evening air, clouds whipping by as it went on. Atem looked down, spotting a few lights from the first village on their path. Mahad also spotted it, indicating just below them. Using the reigns, Atem guided Dew down to a gentle landing in the center of town.

"Well here we are." Said Mana. "The first village." Seto was the first off followed by Atem who leapt off the carriage, both sinking ankle deep into the snow. Mahad soon joined them as Seto pulled on the ends of his robes, trying to get it out of the snow. Mana who was still on the carriage, snickered.

"What's the matter?" She asked Seto, her voice full of mirth. "Don't want to get your dress wet?" Mahad and Seto turned to her, groaning and growling, respectively, in frustration.

"It's a robe!" Seto rebuked.

"Come on." Said Atem helping Mana off. She wrapped her arms around the Pharaoh's neck and he picked her up, carrying her into the street where the snow wasn't as deep. Mahad and Seto followed, wading through the snow with difficulty.

"So, how should we go about this?" Atem asked as he set Mana down.

"I know nothing but trouble will come of this, but why don't Seto and Mana take the houses on that side of the street while the Pharaoh and I take the other?" Atem got the feeling that Mahad just didn't want to put up with Seto at the moment. Unfortunately the other priest wasn't making thinks easy on any of them.

"I'm a priest, not a babysitter." Seto said indignantly, causing Mana to frown. "The only reason why I'm here is because it is my _**duty**_ to help the pharaoh."

"Gee, thank you so much for the vote of confidence." Atem said dryly. "You're truly an inspiration, Seto."

"Really you do know the most inappropriate times to make wrong comments, don't you?" Mahad hissed to Seto, who remained indifferent.

"Listen, Mahad, take Seto with you. Mana and I will take this side." Said Atem. As Mahad and Seto walked away, Mana stuck her tongue out at Seto's retreating back, causing Atem to chuckle.

"What a jerk." She said, turning to the pharaoh. "Why do you keep him on?"

"All members of my realm are highly valued. I trust them and their opinions and I give them the liberty to express themselves and their views. No matter how skewed they may be." He added the last with a smile.

Atem and Mana came to the first house on their trail. It was small mud brick, cottage with a wooden door, wooden widow shutters and a slightly arched roof. Atem carried a knapsack with some tools and toys. Mana tried the door. It didn't budge.

"It's locked." She said.

"Can't you unlock it?" Asked Atem.

"Pharaoh!" Mana gasped in feigned shock. "That'd be breaking and entering." Atem stared at her. _Oh yeah, now she follows rules.  
_  
"So what do you suggest we do?"

"Hmm." Said Mana thoughtfully as she looked around. Looking up, she spotted something and her face brightened, a large smile appearing on her features. "Follow me." She stopped near one of the home's corner's and looked at the pharaoh, smiling timidly.

"Um, can I get a boost up?" Atem looked from her to the roof then back. Oh. Tossing the knapsack up onto the roof, he put his heads together and as Mana stepped up, he lifted with his knees, raising her up.

"A little higher." She said.

"How's this?" Atem asked. He found it difficult to balance her on his hands and hold her up at the same time. This would be easier if it were Seto or Mahad lifting her, as they were bigger. Atem was only a bit taller and heavier than Mana.

"A bit more."

"Stand on my shoulders." He said through clenched teeth. Mana did so, and went a bit further, stepping a bit higher on his back, causing the Pharaoh to haunch over bit. "Please can you shift a bit, before my neck breaks?"

"Sorry." Said Mana as she adjusted her position a bit while still reaching. "Almost got it."

"Wonderful." Said Atem, one of Mana's feet now on his face. Mana finally grabbed the edge of the roof and after some initial difficulty, finally pulled herself up. The sudden lack of weight caused Atem to finally completely lose his balance, and he went down face first into the snow. Mana leaned over the roof edge, looking at him with a mock exasperated look on her face

"Honestly Pharaoh. This is no time for a break." She scolded playfully.

"Hrmm." Atem groaned. He eventually stood and, with Mana carefully perched securely on the roof, reached up, grabbing her hand to help him up. Now to get in. Atem knew that several houses had small openings, usually in corners away from everything, in order for smoke from cooking fires to escape. He also knew that, while not very big, they were large enough to be cleaned and hopefully large enough for the two kids to squeeze through. Shouldering the knapsack, Atem stared across the frozen surface to the opening.

"This won't end well." He muttered. Carefully, feeling each step with his foot, as if expecting the ground breakaway, Atem slowly moved forward. Mana clung fearfully to him, all jokes suddenly put on hold as they inched forward. After what felt like an eternity they reached the opening. To their relief it did look big enough.

"I'll go first." Atem said. He leaned over a bit to peer into the opening. Big mistake. His foot shifted, slipping, and he was falling forward.

"Whoa!" Said Atem losing his balance.

"I'll save you!" Mana shouted grabbing for him. Unfortunately, she underestimated how slippery the roof was. As it was, Atem's weight pulled her and she slipped, falling in after him.

"Aaaah!" Atem and Mana yelled as they fell.

"Ow!" Groaned Atem as he landed in a sitting position on a pile of logs.

"Oh!" Said Mana as she landed in the young pharaoh's lap. _Floosh_! A huge pile of snow, enough to completely bury the two, fell on them from the roof.

"Nice landing." Said a child who lay in a sitting up position on a bed near the opening in the house. Mana dug her way out and pulled Atem out after her. The minute the child saw Atem, she exclaimed.

"The Pharaoh!"

"Shh!" Atem hushed softly, while Mana put an index finger to her lip.

"We're here to give help." Said Mana, while Atem dug out his knapsack and began to pull out tools and lay them carefully at one end of a small dinner table. Mana pulled out a toy stuffed camel and passed it to Atem who handed it to the child.

"Thank you Pharaoh. Thank you princess." Mana laughed nervously, scratching her head. Atem chuckled, patting the child's head and tucking her in. He walked over and looked up the opening they'd fallen from.

"Um, Pharaoh?" Asked Mana. Atem blinked.

"Er, let's take the front door." He said.

Seto and Mahad approached their first house. It was like Atem and Mana's, only shorter and with a rounded roof. Mahad, like Atem, was carrying a knapsack with stuff for the family.

"So," Mahad began conversely. "How should we do this?"

"Let's just go up and enter through the front door." Said Seto. The two walked up approaching the seemingly harmless wooden door.  
_Poww!  
_"Whoa!" Shouted the two priests as they were shocked away from the door. It wasn't very painful. It was just as if they'd run into a force field that shoved them back. They landed flat on their backs in the snow, staring up at he overhanging roof. Mahad looked over at Seto, clearly blaming him for this.

"Nice." He said sarcastically.

"Blasted mages." Seto grumbled. "Why don't they settle with just locking the stupid doors?" A loud cracking sound was suddenly heard. Mahad and Seto looked up from their place in the snow to see the icicles lining the house roof shudder and break.

"Aaaaah!" They both screamed as the long, sharp ice sticks fell. Through some miracle or other they all landed around them, though still dangerously close. Both breathed deeply, still scared from their close call. Seto turned to look at Mahad.

"I hate you."

"Me? It was your idea to just barge in!" Seto rose and began to pace around the house. Mahad stood too and did the same in the opposite direction.

"Do you think this house has a venting hole?" Mahad asked offhandedly.

"Don't even think about it." Mahad rolled his eyes and spotted something obvious. _Of course_.

Atem and Mana met back up with Mahad and Seto as the four went back for more stuff for the other house. Mana was skipping happily as she approached while Atem noticed Mahad and Seto seemed pained in their movements.

"How did it go?" Seto asked Atem.

"Did you get in alright?" Added Mahad.

"We went in through a venting hole." Said Mana. Mahad smiled.

"What did I say?" He asked. Seto ignored him.

"What about you two?" Asked Atem.

"Through a window." Mahad replied when Seto didn't.

"Well that's two houses down; about 28 more to go in this town." Said Mana. Seto's eyes widened at that.

"I've already had it up to here with this plan!" He said indicating his forehead with his hand. "I say we call it a night and go home."

"We can't go home."' Said Mana, matter-of-factly. "The people need us."

"They need us because of your mess!"

"I thought we'd already agreed on that I was responsible for this." Said Atem.

"But sire…!" Seto began to protest, but Atem lifted a hand to cut him off.

"Seto, you need to relax. Get yourself a girlfriend." Said Atem as he and Mana walked back to the carriage to get more gifts. Mahad and Seto looked at one another, blinking, before Seto spoke out.

"If only he could see the pure irony in that statement."


	6. The Girl With The Blue Eyes

Author's Note: Hey everyone! Sorry this update has been a **LONG**time coming. I know I said winter 2011, but I met some unexpected circustances. While on vacation last winter, we were driving down a mountain in West Virginia when our car lost traction and crashed into the mountainside. Needless to say, the vacation was ruined and updating my stories was the furthest thing from my mind. Personally I'm glad my father was driving and not me (I was in the front seat next to him), otherwise I would never EVER hear the end of it. As to why I didn't update earlier this winter, well I just forgot. I know, oops. Anyway, if I don't get the next chapter up by tomorrow, I wish a Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all, and to all a good night. Now on to the story:)

Yu-Gi-Oh! Desert Frost-Time  
Chapter 6: The Girl With The Blue Eyes

The sleigh flew steadily through the lazily falling snow, its passengers silent. Seto had his chin on his hand, his elbow on the carriage's edge. He was almost asleep, too bored to even bother with being angry at the cold. And that's when he saw it. A large blue-ish white dragon with bright blue eyes skimming the clouds just below them. He recognized it from the many dreams he'd had of it. It looked ugly and at the same time beautiful.

"That dragon!" Shouted Seto, leaning over into the front of the carriage between Atem and Mana.

"Hey!" Atem yelped, as Seto took the reins from his hands.

"What the-?!" Said Mahad.

"Follow that dragon!" Seto yelled, pulling on the reins and causing Dew to dive after the fleeing beast.

"Have you lost it?!" Mana cried.

"Seto!" Shouted Atem.

"Follow that dragon!" Seto repeated.

"Seto!" Yelled Atem. They burst out of the clouds and a forest became visible by a mountain through the snowy haze.

"Tree!" Mana screamed.

"Get down!" Mahad shouted. He ducked over his seat, while Atem pulled Mana down, holding her protectively, Seto still leaning over them. One of Dew's hooves hit the top of the tree. The camel began to turn, tumbling in midair. The carriage was suddenly in free-fall.

Mahad groaned. There was a heavy weight on him. It felt like it weighed a ton! If it was the Pharaoh, he'd have to have a talk with him about all the plums. If it was Mana, she was going on a diet the instant they got back. He moved his hand a bit and felt fur. Dew. The camel brayed.  
"Do you, mind?" Mahad asked, opening his eyes. "Get off!" As Dew moved off of him, he stood up, looking around. There were no signs of the others.

"Where am I?! Seto, I'll strangle you!" The sled was up a nearby tree and several presents lay on the ground around it. Mahad decided to pick up the stuff and bring the carriage down before he'd search for the others. He'd need it to really cover ground in this snow.

Seto groaned, coming around. The first thing he noticed was that he was on a ledge on a mountain.  
"Stupid camel. If I ever get my hands on that dumb beast…" Seto ranted. "And that girl! She's gonna be sorry she ever set foot in the palace!" It was in that instant that he realized he was being watched. He gave a start, stumbling backwards and nearly falling. It was a young woman, perhaps his age, with long white hair, and blue eyes. She was looking at him curiously, a smile on her face. Seto gaped, mouthing like a fish out of water, no sound coming from his throat.

"Hi. How are you?" The woman asked. It took Seto a moment to realize she had spoken.

"Uh, pretty girl, pretty fish, pretty good!" Seto stumbled. He closed his eyes, mentally berating himself. "Let me start over. Hi, I'm Seto."

"Kisara. Pleasure to meet you sir."

"Please, call me Seto." He said giving her a goofy grin. To himself he though, "Maybe I should practice smiling more often."

"So Seto, what brings you out here in this weather?"

"I'm an advisor to the Pharaoh. We crashed our carriage."

"Oh wow. I hope the Pharaoh's okay." Said Kisara.

"Me too." Added Seto.

"But I'm glad you are okay."

"Er, uhm…thanks."

"But this crazy weather; I wonder what caused it."

"The Pharaoh's girlfriend." Seto cringed at his own words. If Mana was Atem's girlfriend, that would make her, by default, a princess, and later Queen. She'd rule all of Egypt with Atem. Seto paled at the thought of the girl ruling. _Obelisk forbid.  
_  
"Wow. Hey, let's go back to my village. If the Pharaoh's around, he'll head there. Plus we can get you some blankets and something warm to drink.  
Said Seto, following hing warm to drink.e. a the sleigh was up a near by tree and several presents lay on the ground "

"Thanks." Said Seto, following her._  
_

Atem pulled his face out of the snow, and looked around. He spotted Mana a few feet away and went to help her up.  
"Thanks." She said. As soon as she caught a glimpse of her face, she began giggling.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"You're face." She answered between giggles. Snow clung to his face making it look like he had a fluffy white beard, mustache, and cap on his head. He shook his head and wiped his face.

"Better?

"Better."

"Now, where's Mahad and Seto?"

"I don't know…but I know how to find out!" Said Mana making her staff appear. With Atem secretly hoping for the best, Mana cast a location spell. A deep purple and green beam of light shot from her staff, and after sweeping left and right, settled at about a 15 degree angle to their right. "That way!" She said.

"Well, here we are." Said Kisara as she came to a halt at the edge of a small village.

"This is…nice." Said Seto, trying to be polite. Maybe he was too used to the palace. "Sure looks, uhm, cozy."

"It's home." Said Kisara, walking into a nearby cottage. Seto followed. The two room house was very small and the decorations were very plain. For the first time in his life, Seto actually found himself feeling bad for a lower class citizen while he himself lived in the palace. He didn't want to look at her out of shame an instead turned to lean against the windowsill, looking out into the cold night sky. As he began to lose himself in his thoughts, a large face of a dragon was suddenly inches from his.

"Whoa!" Yelped Seto, nearly falling back.

"Don't worry." Said Kisara, walking over and patting the dragon's head. "This is Blanche. She's harmless."

"Of course." Said Seto, eying the dragon as if expecting it to lunge forward and bite his head off.

"Blanche go find the Pharaoh and his friends." The dragon roared taking to the skies.

"Are you sure this is the way?" Atem asked as they trudged to the darkness.

"Yeah! Look at my staff!" Mana replied. Atem thought about asking her if she was certain she hadn't messed up the spell but decided to keep quiet. Best not to risk accidently insulting her. The pharaoh moved to rub his numb nose, trying not to think what would happen if they could not get warm soon.

"Oof!" Cried Atem and Mana as they crashed into something fuzzy. Atem fell on his butt and Mana fell on him. They looked up at a familiar sound to see that they had crashed into none other than,

"Dew!" Said Man hopping up. "And Mahad! With the carriage!"

"Mahad! Thank Slifer you're safe!" Said Atem, standing and brushing off snow from his clothes. "Have you seen Seto?"

"No I haven't." Answered Mahad. "I reasoned you'd all would try to find the village here and head there; so I was trying to make my where there too. If I could find it." As Atem and Mana boarded the carriage, Mana paused and looked around, listening intently.

"Mana?" Asked Atem as he and Mahad regarded her curiously. "Is something wrong?"

"Do you hear that?" She asked.

"No." Said Atem.

"Hear what?" Mahad asked. Mana didn't reply. She just kept staring out into the darkness. All of a sudden a loud roar echoed all around and a large winged something appeared like a ghost out of the darkness.

"Whoa!" Cried Mahad.

"Look! A dragon!" Said Mana.

"Is that the dragon Seto saw earlier?" Atem wondered. As they watched the dragon stopped several feet from them, hovering in midair by flapping its wings. It swung it head in the direction it had come from and roared, before turning to look back at them. The dragon repeated the gesture multiple times.

"I think it wants us to follow it." Noted Mana

"To its den to feed it? I don't think so." Said Mahad.

"Mahad…" Sighed Atem.

"Yes sire?"

"Seto might be there."

"Fine, but if it eats us, Seto goes first and I get to watch." Mahad relented. He flicked the reins and Dew took off after the dragon.

In just ten short minutes the royal carriage-turned-sleigh was pulling into a small know in the hillside. Outside a nearby hope was Seto with a white haired girl beside him. Seto look surprised and more than a little dumbfounded.

"Seto! You didn't turn into a priest-sicle after all!" Called Mana. This snapped Seto out of his stupor and he glared at her.

"Who's your friend?" Asked Mahad. Seto ignored him, introducing the girl to Atem instead.

"Your highness, this is Kisara." Introduced Seto.

"Kisara, this is the Pharaoh..."

"Your majesty." Kisara said, curtseying.

"Miss Kisara." Atem acknowledged.

"The bundle of mess beside him is Magician's Apprentice, Mana." Seto continued.

"Oh! Are you the pharaoh's girlfriend?" Atem and Mana both blushed.

"Huh?" Said Atem, Mana and Mahad together. Seto slapped his forehead. Smiling fakely, he hissed to Kisara.

"Don't give them any ideas!"

"But you said…" She whispered.

"Never mind what I said!" He said back in hushed undertones, weary that the other three were still looking at them. Kisara looked confused but said nothing. Quickly changing the subject, Seto moved on. "This is the Pharaoh's Head Magician, Mahad."

"Pleased to meet you." Said Kisara, bowing slightly.

"Pleasure's all mine." Said Mahad, nodding his head.

"And as I said before, I'm Seto; but my friends call me…Seto?"

"You have friends?" Mana asked innocently earning her a death glare from Seto.

"Uh, Mahad, we've lost a lot of time lost in the mountain here." Said Atem after, with Kisara's help, they had taken stock of how many houses were in the mountain town.

"Well, I can try magic but it will take some time and a lot of energy. Atem though for a moment, but quickly realized they were to press for time to go house to house here.

"Do it." Mahad nodded and focused his staff on the bag of gifts in the carriage. As he concentrated, he began to talk in undertones. To Mahad's immense surprise, the presents shot into the air and dispersed towards the houses. He stared wide eyed at his staff, then at the carriage and back again.

"You mean all that time you could've just done that?!" Asked Mana. "Why didn't you do it before now?"

"The question is, _why_was I able to do that much magic?" Mahad replied. "Normally to move this amount of stuff to the right places would've been exhausting. Yet I did it quite easily."

"Oh it must be Blanche's magic in the town." Said Kisara offhandedly.

"Huh?" Said everyone looking at her.

"Blanche is magical, you see." She said with a smile. "Very, very powerful magic."

"Amazing." Said Atem in awe.

"Unbelievable." Said Mahad, putting a hand on his forehead in disbelief.

"Wow!" Said Mana in excitement.

"Hmm." Said Seto to himself. "Well that explains _a lot_."

"Well, now that this town's gone, it's time for us to be moving on." Said Atem. "Thanks for everything Miss Kisara."

"Please feel free to come back anytime. Goodbye all." Said Kisara. She turned to leave when Seto stopped her.

"Kisara, hold on a moment." Turning to Atem he said, "Your highness, may she have permission to accompany us?" Atem looked surprised but recovered quickly.

"Kisara, if you wish to come along you may." He said.

"Thank you your highness!" Said Seto and Kisara together causing Atem to smile and shake his head in amusement.

"Seto's got a girlfriend! Seto's got a girlfriend!" Mana chanted.

"Silence!" Seto snapped. "Brat." He muttered.

"Seto and Kisara, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!"

"That's it you little twerp!" Atem chuckled and Mahad shook his head as Seto chased Mana through the streets and around the houses.


End file.
